Welcome to life on St. George Island, Florida. Sit back and enjoy the magic..

A special place

"If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, it is a special place where I spend my afternoon."

Sunday, October 7, 2012

At the end of the day........

One of the most beautiful things on the island is the sunsets. It doesn't matter how long you live here, you'll never say, "It's just another sunset". Each one has a unique quality that will take your breath away. It's a photographer's dream.

A "red moon" sunset

This particular sunset was a magnificent sight. As much as I like this picture, it falls short of doing the real thing justice. This "red moon" sunset was taken in January 2008. Unlike the "blue moon", this moon was truly a blood red color when it first got above the horizon. But, the sun sets so fast that in order to get a shot of both the sun and the moon I had to stay in the same location. The houses prevented me from catching the moon when it was just above the horizon.

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The "red moon"

A "red moon" will usually occur when it's time for the "hunter's moon". So if you want to check it out this year, the "hunter's moon" will occur on October 27th. But there's no guarantee there will be a "red moon" at that time. But it does always occur during a full moon. I've been told, when you watch the sun set over the water, on a clear night, the second the entire sun goes below the horizon, you can see a flash of blue light. You have to be looking at the exact moment the sun disappears and it happens in an instant. I've tried it but I'm not seeing any flash of light. It may be that my timing is off. If it does occur, the problem with seeing it is you have to be looking at just the right moment when the last bit of sun is gone. And I really don't want to stare at the sun, even for a few seconds.

A "sunset cruise"

The sunsets over the beach are generally red. This is because of the high concentration of salt particles suspended in the air over the ocean..Without getting too technical, the density of atmospheric particles determines the type of sunset you may see. The less particles, the less color.

In the mountains where the incoming sunlight is encountering fewer assorted particles, the sunsets are generally white. I didn't know this when I took this picture over the bay. I just thought it was an unusual sunset. (I don't alter any of my photographs. What I see is what you see).

During the winter months the sun will position itself ever closer to the gulf side of the island. So the beach dwellers can walk out their back doors and enjoy the beauty of the sunsets from their seat on the beach. But during the summer months, I have the best place on all of St. George to enjoy the sunsets. I can sit on my back deck and watch it set over different parts on the bay. And even when I can't see the sun going below the horizon, the colors it leaves behind are incredible. The above picture of the bay was taken just last night.

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When the "blue moon" occurred, it rose on the gulf side of the island. So if you chose to see the moon rise, you were going to miss the sunset on the bay side, which was also a beautiful sight that night. Just like with the "red moon" most of the time, you're going to miss one or the other due to the houses in the middle of the island.﻿﻿ But, for a short time during the winter, you can watch the sun rise and set and never leave your place on the beach. There's not many places you can do that. I probably have more pictures of sunsets than anything else. Some of them are easier to capture in a photograph than others. But there are no pictures that can give you the sensation that seeing it in person can. The sun setting over the water gives you a sense of peace like nothing else.

So if you decide to plan a trip to St George Island, or maybe, by chance, fate just happens to bring you here, make sure to get a good seat for the sunsets. You won't want to miss them! It's a wonderful way to end the day.